The Orthodox Pages

 

 ASK AN ORTHODOX PRIEST

Homepage

 

   Back                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Question 459

Good afternoon Father,  Can someone be a Christian without being Christened and my second question once Christened how can they ever stop being Christians? 

 

Answer to Question 459

Someone can live a Christian way of life without being baptized, but he cannot partake of the sacraments of the Church. A Christian is someone who through baptism partakes of Christ's death and Resurrection and becomes one with Christ by partaking of his Precious Body and Blood. As for the second part of your question, we have free will and nothing can hold us to Christ if we do not want to. We are free to disown Christ and live according to how we choose

 

Same member

I fully understand what your saying but the baptism has already taken place, that cannot be undone, so however hard they try to run away from Christianity its already been installed

 

Reply

If a person as a child is baptized as a Christian, but growing up becomes a devil worshipper, it doesn't mean that when he dies the Lord will receive him with open arms into his kingdom just because he was baptised as a child. Baptism gives us the tools to be saved if we choose to join ourselves to Christ, but if someone rejects Christ then that is his free choice and Christ will respect that choice and let the person live eternity with the master of his own choosing